a running nerd

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Inspired Again

Nothing bad has ever come from tacos and beer. Last night the wife and I invited a fellow runner and new(ish) acquaintance over for some grilled chicken tacos and Stoneface IPAs. I recently met Chris at our local coffee shop that we’ve both frequented for years. After one of the baristas mentioned that Chris was an ultra-runner, I spat out my social awkwardness and introduced myself. A week later, I was chasing him and his running partner up some hills in Marlborough and last night we broke bread tacos together. Through all the reading I’ve done about trail running and all the videos that speak to the community, I’m becoming more and more convinced that it’s not bullshit. They are some of the most welcoming and gracious folks I’ve met since starting this experiment about 10 months ago. After just a few days, Chris had invited me on a run and never made it seem weird that I was there with them on the trail. I consider myself a complete newbie to the sport and am still in the stage of laying low and watching the grownups do their thing. Running with, or mostly behind, Chris and Keith, without being made to feel like I was holding them back, gives testament to the philanthropy of the trail running community.

Yesterday was a truly beautiful spring day and it happened right when we needed it. This winter was an especially cold and depressing season so the sunny, 70° weather yesterday was incredibly renewing. After chowing, we all sat on the porch and chatted about some of Chris’s races and experiences on the trail. He was gracious in answering what must have been child-like questions and took the time to tell some stories and have some laughs. I woke up this morning inspired to hit the webs again with this little blog. I have to remember that as new to this sport as I am, there is always someone who is newer than me. My hope is that I’m able to pass whatever little bit of knowledge I have, down the line to the next person who will eventually do the same.

On to a bit of a training update. My first marathon is coming up in less then two weeks and I am at the point in my schedule where my weekly miles are shortening. Last week I hit 40, but this week will be considerably less, probably somewhere in the mid 20s. I’m still not sold on the whole taper thing, but I vowed to stick to the plan, and it’s been going well so far. After Sunday’s 13 miler, I had a bit of soreness in my right knee, but nothing serious. I’m hoping the let-up in miles will set my legs up for a smooth race, but who knows really. Sure as shit, not me. What I do know is that I’m still enjoying the run, the trails are thawing out, and if I was able to kick through 18 miles of knee deep snow, I can at least creep through 26.2 miles of trails.